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DUBAI: Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has climbed to the top of the ICC Men’s T20I Bowling Rankings on Wednesday, capping off a remarkable year with his maiden No.1 spot.
The 34-year-old becomes only the third Indian bowler to achieve the milestone, joining Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi in the elite list.
Chakaravarthy, who cemented his place in India’s T20I setup over the past 12 months, leapfrogged New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy to secure the top position.
His consistency has been backed by notable performances, including a five-wicket haul against England earlier this year and tidy spells at the ongoing Asia Cup, where he has claimed two wickets from as many matches against the UAE and Pakistan.
The rankings update sees Duffy slip to second, West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein steady at third, and Australia’s Adam Zampa climbing to fourth.
Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara also surged six places to sixth, while India’s Kuldeep Yadav made a significant leap of 16 spots to 23rd.
On the batting front, Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the T20I rankings following his 31-run knock against Pakistan.
England’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler trail closely in second and third, while South Africa’s Dewald Brevis (up to 11th) and Aiden Markram (up to 30th) also made gains.
Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka moved up to sixth, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz rose to 19th, and Shubman Gill entered the top 40.
Among all-rounders, Hardik Pandya retained his top spot, with Pakistan’s Saim Ayub (now joint-fifth) and Abhishek Sharma (14th) making significant progress.
READ: Struggling Saim Ayub continues to rise in ICC T20I Rankings
